I finally got the Vagabond in the garage and was able to get up on the big ladder and see the roof. There is some rust especially in the front on the driver side. I think I’ll sand it down and stabilize it as best I can. Until I see how successful we will be with trimming the bushes on the driveway I don’t want to put any money in a fancy paint job. It may never be a path that is completely scratch proof. I’m taking out a tree myself so it’s not all on my neighbor.
I was under the impression that Vagabond roof panels were all aluminum but obviously this one has steel on the side roof. I guess there are no rules on a 67 year old camper. I’ve also been told that they did not make that model in 53, so maybe it’s an early 53 model? I can’t find a serial number on the trunk door so I may never know.
I rolled around under her yesterday to see if I could see why it leans a little. Seems like all it can be really is the springs. Perhaps they have worn unevenly. I did not see any cracks in them. The bottom is in good condition. The rear has the worst problems. This was all well fixed by prior owners but I can see that it rotted out at some point. Maybe the trunk door was open or leaked. Or maybe the one on there is a replacement? Someone put diamond plate on it. Can’t say why!
She’s listing a little…maybe 1/2-1″
I towed the Vagabond to the truck stop and weighed her. I learned that my Nissan Frontier with 190k *can* pull her but it’s not a great time and that the Vagabond weighs 4460 lbs with bedding and the trundle bed. The bed is heavy but prob no worse than the average click clack or futon would be.
I am considering widening the door on the garage. What a stressful thing backing it in that space. Once in it fit better than I expected tho. I can walk around it very easily.
Right before the Vagabond was offered up and I had given up hope of having one, I bought a t@da – a somewhat hard to find product made by the dutchman RV company in 2008. I can’t keep both so I am prepping the t@da for sale. Yesterday when I was washing it the antenna was knocked loose, then when I touched the plumbing vent cover it literally crumbled. I ended up replacing them both and resealing everything. I’m glad the Vagabond does not have plastic bits that are destroyed by the sun! Based on the good condition – I think the T@da was used when it was new then parked for a while. I’m glad I looked at the roof when I did. It’s a cute little camper. I wish I had a giant shop and some lottery winnings so I could keep them all!
19’ Vagabond 